Meet College Chefs’ Chef Orion Shelton

Chef Orion Shelton resides in Tucson, Arizona. He is a lifetime resident of the Southwestern region of the country. Chef Orion found his passion for cooking while growing up in Taos, New Mexico. This is where he developed a love affair with Hatch Green Chilés and started working in restaurants at age 13 as a dishwasher. The cooks at that restaurant took him under their wing and taught him the basics.

From there, Orion flourished and in a couple years he was a lead line cook at a popular local restaurant. A few years later he decided to pursue and earn a degree in graphic design, yet he found that he really missed cooking and the energy in the kitchen. He moved to San Diego in 2004 and eventually took culinary courses towards certification. Using his newfound knowledge of design, combined with his knowledge of and passion for food, he pursued his original passion which is cooking.

He has worked in almost every aspect of the restaurant industry from managing restaurants and bars, to catering to, fine dining, to the high end grocery store industry. After meeting his wife of almost ten years, they decided to move back to Tucson together and he decided to "plant roots" as he says, and took a position with College Chefs.

Orion shared, "I have never felt more satisfied, or been happier with my professional and personal life, as I am working with College Chefs. It's a breath of fresh air in comparison to the rest of the industry experiences I've had."